Inside Boys Basketball

Murray scored some key baskets as the Golden Eagles stretched their winning streak to four games with a 56-54 victory over Prairie Ridge and two wins in the Jacobs Hinkle Holiday Classic.

Murray scored nine points last Tuesday as the Eagles held off Prairie Ridge, 56-54, hitting all four of his free-throw attempts.

In Saturday’s opener at the Hinkle Classic, Murray hit 5 of 7 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and hit 7 of 8 from the line for a game-high 20 points in a 67-51 win against Lakes.

Murray scored 14 points in Monday’s 78-67 win against Johnsburg as the Eagles moved to 2-0 in Pool I and a step closer to making the championship bracket.

Noteworthy

Hoping to expand: Marengo coach Will Benson added four teams to the field at the E.C. Nichols Holiday Tournament this year and hopes to add four more next year to bring the field to 16.

“We’d like to get to 16 and seed it,” Benson said. “We’re trying to mimic what Plano does at its tournament. I want to get rid of pool play.”

Berg returns: Prairie Ridge forward Jack Berg left Jacobs’ Hinkle Holiday Classic Saturday on a stretcher and wound up in an emergency room, but he was back on the court Monday.

Berg took a blow between the eyes as he tried to defend Barrington’s Rapolas Ivanauskas on a drive to the basket. Berg said he closed out too quickly on Ivanauskas and, when the 6-foot-8 sophomore drove to the basket, Berg took Ivanauskas’ shoulder to the face.

“It was nothing flagrant, it just happened,” Berg said. “I felt fine and did the concussion test, but I got this tingling sensation in my hands, like they fell asleep. I couldn’t feel my fingers and they kept locking up.”

Berg said the trainer thought he may have tweaked a nerve when he fell backward to the floor.

“It was a scare,” Berg said. “It happens when your adrenaline is super-high, elevated. It’s easy to hyperventilate and then the numbness corresponds with that hyperventilating.”

Classic Hinkle: Former Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle was honored when the tournament name was changed to the Hinkle Holiday Classic this year.

True to form, Hinkle offered this gem in Saturday’s first round of games. “I’m just glad the word ‘Memorial’ is not in there,” he said.

On call: Crystal Lake Central coach Rich Czeslawski could be called away at any time this week as his wife Molly is expecting their second child. Czeslawski has been driving to games in his own car just in case Molly, who is due any day, goes into labor.

This Week’s Top Games

Jacobs’ Hinkle Holiday Classic

Thursday through Saturday

• Seven local teams are playing in the tournament, where the host team is off to a 2-0 start.

Marengo E.C. Nichols Tournament

Friday and Saturday

• Harvard, Marengo, Richmond-Burton, Woodstock and Woodstock North are the local teams competing in the final two rounds.